Mysterious Aspen ski rental contract may relate to Trumps

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. Secret Service signed a contract last week for more than $12,000 with the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club for rental ski equipment and clothing, according to a federal government website.

However, the club doesn't rent ski equipment and the club's director said Friday he knew nothing of the contract.

"I see all the checks that come through here and I certainly didn't see one from the Secret Service," said Mark Godomsky, AVSC executive director. "For me, this is entirely out of the blue."

The $12,208.25 contract was signed March 10 and is good through March 23, according to the Federal Procurement Data System website. The contract is for "lease or rental of equipment, clothing, individual equipment and insignia," according to the website.

Other details of the contract listed on the federal website also made little sense Friday.

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While the AVSC address listed under the "contractor information" portion of the contract is correct, a phone number listed was not. That number came back to a plastic injection molding company in Loveland called Kent Systems. The company has owned the phone number for about 15 years, co-owner Linda Sampson said.

In addition, a fax number listed under the AVSC contractor information section is not a working phone number.

Joseph Casey, a Secret Service spokesman, said Friday he didn't know about the contract. He said he would look into the contract, though answers might not be available until Monday.

Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen Skiing Co., also said he didn't know about a contract between any Skico rental entity and the Secret Service for ski equipment, but wouldn't comment on Skico guests if he did.

An Aspen area law enforcement source who requested anonymity suggested the rental equipment might be for Secret Service agents protecting members of the Trump family while skiing.

Pitkin County Commissioner George Newman told the Times on Thursday that he heard Secret Service agents met with members of the Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol a couple weeks ago.

Both Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo and Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor said they hadn't been asked by Secret Service for assistance protecting the Trumps. However, Pryor confirmed his agency has been in contact with the Secret Service, and DiSalvo said he'd heard the Secret Service would be in town this weekend.

One anonymous law enforcement source said as many as 100 Secret Service agents may be in town protecting the Trumps, while another law enforcement source said the number of agents will be far lower.

The Secret Service and U.S. State Department have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in hotel bills that coincide with other out-of-town visits by Trump's sons and daughters, according to federal documents cited by NBC News in a story posted online Friday.

The trips include $53,155 during a business trip to Vancouver in late February by Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump; $16,738 during a trip to Dubai in mid-February by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump; and $97,830 during an early January trip to Uruguay by Eric Trump, according to the NBC News story.